H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

Laughing Gull

The Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, “white”, and phaios, “dusky”. The specific atricilla is from Latin ater, “black”, and cilla, “tail”. Linnaeus appears to have misread his note atricapilla (black-haired), which would have been much more appropriate for this black-headed, but white-tailed, bird.

It breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate farther south in winter, and this species occurs as a rare vagrant to western Europe. (There was an influx into North-west Europe in late October 2005 when at least 18, possibly as many as 35, individuals occurred on one day in the UK alone.) The laughing gull’s English name is derived from its raucous kee-agh call, which sounds like a high-pitched laugh “ha… ha… ha…”.

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© HJ Ruiz – Avian101